{
  "id": 489795,
  "title": "P Pinang sasar 50% tambakan selesai menjelang 2040",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/p-pinang-sasar-50-tambakan-selesai-menjelang-2040-489795",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-10T15:48:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/08/10/p-pinang-sasar-50-tambakan-selesai-menjelang-2040"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pulau Pinang has set a target to develop 50% of a designated land area for extraction and hill development by 2040, according to the state's draft structure plan for 2040. The plan also proposes protecting Middle Bank as a marine conservation area. The draft, now open for public comment, sets a target to extract 25% of the designated area by 2030 and 50% by 2040, without specifying the exact land size beyond the target or dividing it by project. However, the UN's response in November 2024, in response to a request for the master plan and approval, listed 12 extraction projects covering a total of 2,350 hectares. If the 2,350 hectares mentioned in the 2024 response are the same as those in the relevant draft, the 2040 target would involve around 1,175 hectares. The 2024 list includes 932 hectares for the South Penang Island Extraction Project and related work, 582 hectares outside Bagan Ajam and Teluk Air Tawar, and 377 hectares for Seri Tanjong Pinang Phase 2, in addition to extraction related to Bayan Mutiara, the rubber tapping site, and several coastal developments. The plan also states that extraction is necessary because Penang has limited land for housing, public facilities, and business activities. Extraction will be carried out incrementally, with monitoring of water quality, marine life, and impact on the fishing community, it said. The draft also proposes development to be allowed on selected hill land above 76 meters. Of the 645 hectares listed or accepted by the state, 40% is targeted for development by 2030 and 60% by 2040. Development is to be limited to a slope of no more than 25 degrees, with state approval required. Areas like Rizab Biosphere Reserve, forest reserve, and Penang National Park are exempted. Considering the document is still a draft, the figures related to extraction and hill development are targets, not approvals for work to begin. Protecting Middle Bank The draft also proposes protecting Middle Bank, located between Penang and mainland, as a marine conservation area. The proposal in the draft reignites plans to make Middle Bank a marine conservation area, following the state's announcement last year that it had no immediate plan to do so. The state government previously expressed concern that fishing activity could hinder development nearby and subject projects within a 500-meter radius to stricter environmental regulations. The draft also sets a target for all biodiversity areas under the relevant plan to be designated by 2040. The Penang Gateway, a mixed-use development proposal along the northern coast from Tanjung Bungah to Batu Ferringhi, for tourism, services, trade, and land development, is also included in the draft. The draft does not specify land size, cost, developer, or timeline for the project. In 2019, the state government confirmed it had received a private sector proposal to extract about 121 hectares outside Batu Ferringhi for hotel, commercial, and serviced apartment development. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said at the time that it was only a proposal requiring further approval.",
  "summary": "Draf rancangan struktur negeri juga mencadangka Middle Bank dilindungi sebagai kawasan perlindungan marin.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "P Pinang sasar 50% tambakan selesai menjelang 2040",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/p-pinang-sasar-50-tambakan-selesai-menjelang-2040",
        "published": "2026-08-10T15:48:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}